NEW ORLEANS (AP) — When the Saints gathered in their locker room after a resounding, season-opening, 47-10 demolition of the Carolina Panthers in the Superdome, coach Dennis Allen asked his players to appreciate how unusual such lopsided victories are in the NFL.
He emphasized that point for two reasons.
He wanted the Saints to celebrate how well they played, but also to keep it in perspective. There's a long regular season ahead, and the schedule would appear to get markedly tougher in coming weeks.
“That was the whole message,” said receiver Rashid Shaheed, who caught a 59-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr on the game's opening series. “You know, not a lot of games turn out like this. ... We’re going to be in a lot closer games.”
Indeed, three of New Orleans' next four games are against teams that were in the playoffs last season, including the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
“One game won’t define our season. So, obviously it’s one of those wins that you have to enjoy it, just because of the magnitude of it," Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu said. "It was a big deal for us to have that kind of performance. But I don’t think that performance has anything to do with what happens next week. We’ve got to come back to work, keep our head down, and just stay humble.”
First-year coordinator Klint Kubiak's new offense and Allen's old defense complemented one another effectively.
A season ago, the offense was erratic and prone to stalling out at inopportune times.
Not on Sunday. It was as balanced as it was productive.
The Saints passed for 199 yards and rushed for 180. Not only was their scoring total a franchise high for a season opener, but it came without any help from defensive or special teams TDs. Carr and Co. ended five drives in the end zone and four in field-goal range.
New Orleans also had 22 first downs and converted on seven of 13 third down plays, helping the Saints dominate time of possession, 36:39 to 23:21.
New Orleans' defense has been a strength for much of the past decade, which included Allen's six seasons as defensive coordinator.
That unit came up with two interceptions, a fumble recovery and four sacks while allowing just one inconsequential, second-half touchdown.
Defensive backs accounted for all three takeaways and three of the sacks. Will Harris and Jordan Howden each intercepted Carolina QB Bryce Young. Mathieu caused and recovered receiver Jonathan Mingo's fumble. Nickel back Alontae Taylor had three sacks on blitzes and credited defensive lineman for closing off the mobile Young's escape routes on those plays.
“The D-line was pressuring, too,” Taylor said. “So, it helped me out a lot to get the sack. And so, a lot of credit to the guys doing their job.”
This may become more evident as the schedule gets tougher in coming weeks. For now, one might take issue with the Saints' level of on-field discipline. They were penalized 10 times for 95 yards, which will be harder to overlook when they're not winning in a rout.
Kubiak's stock might never be higher.
Even when the offense was run by Sean Payton, the most successful coach by far in franchise history, New Orleans never opened a season with nine straight scoring drives.
Meanwhile, Alvin Kamara, despite his dissatisfaction with his contract situation, had his 50th game with at least 100 yards from scrimmage and scored a touchdown.
Second-year kicker Blake Grupe, who struggled with consistency as a rookie, hit all four of his field-goal attempts, including kicks from 57 and 52 yards.
Cornerback Marshon Lattimore. He was the subject of offseason trade speculation because of his hefty contract, as well as his injury history and the Saints' relative depth in the secondary. He didn't make it through one regular-season game before leaving with a hamstring injury.
On Monday, Allen sidestepped questions about the severity of Lattimore's injury, saying it wasn't yet clear how soon he'd return and that the team would monitor the situation throughout the week.
In addition to Lattimore, tight end Foster Moreau is in the concussion protocol and and left guard Lucas Patrick has a toe injury.
1 — Alontae Taylor's career sack total during his first two NFL seasons before his trio against Carolina.
The Saints travel to Dallas for what would appear to be a far more difficult test. Should the Saints be competitive on the road against the Cowboys, it'll lend more credibility to their opening showing.
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